Bashir Assad
Jammu, Feb 16: Senior PDP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister, Muzaffar Hussain Baigh today said the budget presented by the State Government in the House on 13th of this month neither reflects the true state of economy nor it points to the proclaimed economic recovery and regeneration.
Baigh while initiating discussion on the 2014-15 budget presented by Finance Minister, A R Rather described the general budget in the Legislative Assembly 'directionless, misleading, incoherent, contradictory and jugglery of words'. He said the Finance Minister who has presented a record 14 budgets in the assembly can't escape the responsibility of sorry state of affairs in the State in many sectors including finance, power and health. Baigh said Rather has failed to give any vision or direction to the State in his budget. 'The bad financing could be very well gauged from the fact that huge funds under centrally sponsored schemes, state's own plan and Cabinet/district developments board decisions remained unspent during last five years and nobody is accounted for financial mismanagement and unutilizations of funds. Quoting figures from Rather's budget and pre-budget economic survey, Baig, who had presented four budgets during PDP-Congress coalition Government headed by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and Ghulam Nabi Azad and had initiated the process of presenting zero deficit budgets, which was picked up by subsequent Finance Ministers and continued since then, took on the Government for poor financing of health sector, drinking water and education which was directly connected with lives of the citizens.
On huge power scenario Baigh said the bill has increased manifold but the government has failed in providing power to the people.
"Apni hi constituency mein base badal kar jao Rather Sahib aur dekho loge kya keh rehey hein bijli ke barey mein," Baigh told Rather. He said the Government has no achievement instead the power scenario has worsen over the years, Baigh regretted. Justifying his statement that Rather has misled the House and resorted to jugglery of words, Baig said no reforms were visible in power or, for that matter, in any other sectors''. Baigh said his party brought a resolution in this house for renegotiating the power projects with the union government but it was dropped in just 10 minutes by the present coalition government. Scoffing at Rather's claim of increase in tax revenue , the PDP leader pointed out that every time the officers fixed less target of taxes and when they exceeded the target, they claimed credit for it. He said the tax based had increase by 101.87 per cent during the PDP regime. He added that during two years of PDP Government, tax base had increase by 20.4 per cent while it has increased by less than 13 per cent in present NC regime.
The Finance Minister had to maintain discipline and not act only like a politician'', he said, adding it was statutory responsibility of the Finance Minister to find out a solution to the debt trap, announce a road map for discipline and not sell dreams, which can't be realized. |
